News & Events

Created by IDEA and specific to the electrical industry, the Electrical Attribute Schema is a standardized product descriptor template based on the global United Nations Standard Products and Services Codes (UNSPSC)® product categorization taxonomy. The Schema is a living document, subject to enhancements reflecting changing industry needs, and is used by manufacturers to communicate product categories and attributes, or descriptive product information (e.g., brand, voltage, color, etc.) to their trading partners through the Industry Data Warehouse (IDW).

Following the release of updated IDW standards documents in December 2015, IDEA is announcing the release of the latest version of the Electrical Attribute Schema, now called the Classification and Marketing Descriptor Model version 5.0 (CMD5.0).

Changes were also made to the attributes from Schema Version 4.0, removing those that no manufacturer was using, and adding a number of recommended new ones. These attribute changes will be implemented by April 1, 2016; however, they can already be viewed in the CMD5.0 document that has been posted on the IDW site for your convenience (log into the IDW --> Advanced --> Information --> Documents).

IDEA has once again begun reviewing the attributes for additional changes that may be necessary, and such changes will be made available later in 2016, once the review process is complete.

If you have any questions about the new CMD5.0, please contact your Data Management Specialist.